Current mail inserting machines are designed to run either letter size mail or flat sized mail. Some inserting machines can run both letter and flat mail but the machine must be stopped and setup parameters changed to switch between envelope types. Letter and flat mail properties are defined by the postal authority such as the USPS®. The properties include envelope size, weight and postage requirements. Generally the USPS charges less postage for letter mail than flat mail of similar weight due to reduced processing costs associated with letter mail. For example, under current USPS first class postage rates, a 3.4 ounce flat mail envelope will cost $1.39 while a similar letter will cost $0.95. Significant postage savings can be achieved if qualifying flat mail could be converted to into the letter format.
There is an additional problem associated with designing a machine to insert documents configured for insertion into flat mail envelopes. Typically the addressee and address are printed on page one of the document so that the addressee and address will be visible through a window in the envelope after the document is inserted. If the document is inserted into a letter envelope the addressee and address will not be oriented to enable this data to be visible through a window.
Hence a need exists for a dual mode mail inserting machine that can run flat mail but be able to convert documents designed in a flat mail format into a letter format using a sub-set accumulator to direct documents that are less than a predetermined weight to a folder and letter inserter. The addressee and address data must be read from the document or looked up in an insertion definition file before insertion of the document into a letter envelope. The address block data is then printed on the letter envelope and verified with an imagining system for quality assurance.